Rough Start
by The24punk
Summary: RE OPENED AND UPDATED! TM Fic. Tony and Michelle find eachother after season 2, but the worst is yet to come. Are they strong enjof? R
1. Untill

"Nadine, I want you in this" Tony said in the phone. He glanced down to se Michelle sitting at her desk, "because I need this to go smoothly. You're the best for the job" Tony was unsure of how to put it, he didn't usually have problems expressing himself, but this was one of those times. "Yeah, thanks" He hang up, and saw Michelle getting up from her station and walking towards his office.

Michelle had been waiting for him to get of the phone. She was just desperate to se him, it had been a week!

She opened the door and her gorgeous smile met him, he melted instantly.

"Hey you" he smiled.

"lunch?" she asked hopefully, he couldn't help but smile, she was so cute, so lively,

"yeah, why not" he got up from the chair,

"I'll be with you in a min, okay?" She smiled, and walked back down.

She almost attacked him the second they got clear of people's view. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. He willingly kissed her back. As their lips parted he held her by the waist, and looked at her,

"I've missed you", she smiled and kissed him again, but only brief this time.

"I've missed you to, the place fucking stinks without you here! I hope you had a terrible time in New York, cuz I'm not letting you go back anytime soon" He smiled and pulled her inn for a hug.

They went to get lunch, and talked and laughed. The thought of what he would have to ask her to do was devastating. He had done everything he could, but it was out of his control. He was so afraid of what might happen to her, and he knew to well that she wouldn't even complain, she would go through with it. He pulled the thought away, and focused on her, today was all about her.

They finished up early at work that day, and went to his place. It was a simple, yet stylish apartment. She loved it from the second she walked inside the first time.

When he came out of the shower, she could her lying on his bed, with her laptop in front of her. She smiled as he came in. He looked at her screen, and laughed.

"you have serious problem woman" she put on an angelic face,

"whaat?"

"you're working! You just don't know when to quit do you" She rolled over, smiling, so that she was lying on her back, facing her, he pushed the laptop away. She laid there watching him for a while, with a smile on her face.

"it's so good to se you smile" he said, and stroke her face gently.

"it's good to have a reason to smile, she said"

"ohh, whats your reason?" he placed her hand on her arm and sat there listening.

"You, everything… It's just all falling into place now. You've changed my life dramatically, and you just make me happy, and you make everything else so much easier for me." Tony smiled,

"It makes me so happy to hear that, you deserve it, you're just so amazing, you know that, and I don't think anyone's ever made me as happy as you make me"

"aww, don't go soft on me here", she said, teasing. He tickled her, and she laughed and rolled around trying to escape him. She was so happy, so alive….

Later Michelle was lying in Tony's lap, on the coach. She was wearing a college sweater and thin flannel pants, she looked so cosy and sweet he couldn't help but stare. He was constantly brushing his hand over her hair.

"You seam distant…" She said. He touched her nose gently with a finger;

"I'm lost in you, that's all" he smiled.

"no, seriously" she laughed.

"It's nothing, I just haven't been home for a week, I haven't seen you for a week, I've been flying around all day, I'm just tired, yet glad to be home." she looked at him, and settled with the answer.

The last three weeks seamed like forever. But that day, it seamed like yesterday… CTU being bombed, those people dying, desperately kissing Tony in the hallway. In some ways, it seamed as if they were going to fast, but things had just kind of happened. After everything that had happened, being without him for the entire week had been difficult. Tony had been there for her through so much, and she felt herself falling deeply in love with him. She couldn't imagining going back to the life she'd had without him…

He could se her drifting off to sleep, and he just watched her. She looked so peaceful and pretty. He carefully carried her to his bed, and laid her down. She opened her eyes slightly as he put her down, and smiled.

"I'll be with you in a minute" he said and touched her briefly on the arm, then he went back out to turn of the lights.

She could feel him lying down beside her, and barely awake, she moved closer, and curled up in his embrace. In the few nights she had spent with him, she had become far to used to this, and couldn't imagine anything better.

Two days later, he broke the news. He called her station and asked her to come up to his office.

"Hey, sit down" he said, as she entered. He took the papers from his desk, walked around and leaned against the desk.

"You know about the operation against Ashrim right?" he asked,

"yeah, I haven't been working on it to much, but yeah, I know about it" He took a deep breath and continued.

"well, we've discussed it and, come to the conclusion that you'd have the best shot at getting it right" She nodded.

"Look, I've done what I can, but they've made up their mind" She bit her lip.

"I'll do it" His heart sank,

"It's my job, I'm qualified, and if you've come to the conclusion it's our best shot, I'll do it. Look, we both knew this would come, it's the way it is. We'll talk about it later" She got up from the coach.

"fine, the briefing is tomorrow, I'll tell them your inn."

They were both tense as they drove home from work that day. They had agreed that they would meet up later that day at her place.

When Tony got inside, he sat down on the coach, wondering if there was anything he hadn't done, anything that could change what was about to happen. He pulled himself together, grabbed something to eat, and got in the car.

She was sitting on the coach with her computer on her lap, and he saw her as he got out of the car, she looked at him and smiled, and he walked inside.

He walked up behind her, put his arms around her shoulders and kissed her on the top of the head.

"Hey, she said,

"we need to talk" he said.

"yeah, look, why don't we go out to the porch, I need some fresh air" she responded. The walked outside.

The porch on the back had view to the city underneath. Michelle stopped by the rail, and Tony wrapped her arms around her from behind as she leaned against him, resting her head on his chest.

"I wish every day was like this. "he said. He took a deep breath, and continued,

"I just want you to be safe, and I can't imagine you going undercover for Ashrim, I know what that guy is capable of, and if he smells something's up, your done" Michelle turned around facing him, as Tony loosened his grip on her, without letting go.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. It's my job, and you either fire me, or you let me do it. I know it's not easy for you, but it's the way it has to be."

He paused, and let go of her with one arm, gently stroking her hair back.

"I love you, I can't loose you, and the though of the risk in this, it's killing me" Her heart skipped at least one beat by the sound of those words. It was the first time he'd told her he loved her. He just needed to say it.

"I'll be okay, I'll come back to you, because I love you, and I won't leave you, I promise!" She sealed her promise with a tender kiss, and gently stroke his face.

"I will come back, always, because I have so much to come back for"

He felt warm, he felt terrified, but warm. He pulled her inn for a tight hug,

"You're so amazing, you know that?" he whispered. She smiled into his chest, and they stood there for a while, in a silent embrace.


	2. What will?

When Michelle was ready to leave, she walked up to Tony's office.

"Hey, we're leaving" she said softly. Tony met her eyes,

"I'll be with you before you go in okay?" She nodded.

"Are you okay?" he added.

"Yeah, I'm fine; I promise" she replied, she could see in his eyes

"okay, see yah." He smiled at her.

Michelle was alone in the van where she was being prepared when Tony walked in.

"Hey sweetie" he said, sitting down on the coach, inviting her to join him, she sat down beside him.

"Are you nervous? He asked her softly.

"a little, but not as bad as I thought I would be actually"

"your tough, you can do this" he said, stroking hair away from her face. He moved his hand around her, and pulled her closer, so that her head was resting on his chest,

"You let us know the second you get into trouble okay? I don't want you taking unnecessary risks in there." He loosened his grip and pulled back so that their eyes met.

"I love you, remember that" he said.

"I love you to" she replied, she gave him a weak smile before getting up from the coach.

Michelle was only equipped with a small devise enabling her to notify if there was trouble. Anything else would be detected. Basically she was on her own. Things went to wrong too early.

Michelle kept her appearance and was able to continue what she was there fore, even if things didn't go as planned.

"What makes you think you can help me" Ashrim asked her

"I have what you need, I can fit in, I can get it done, smoothly" she sais.

"I like they way you think, he said, leaning forward and touching her face.

"hey, I'm here to do the job, that's IT" she said, firmly pushing him off.

"We could make another deal, don't you think" he said, trying again.

"I want to get this done" she said, feeling sick.

"hush" he said, moving closer, and holding her tight.

"we have other business to attend to first" Hi pushed her up against the wall. She tried to fight him off, but he fastened his grip on her, and was just too strong. He continue moving his hands, from her breasts, down between her legs. Then he forcefully kissed her.

At the same moment, a young girl walked inn." There's a problem, Jim wants to talk to you" she said. Ashrim left the room without another word. The girl stepped inside, and turned her back to Michelle, as if she was doing something, Michelle couldn't see what, and suspected she was there to keep an eye on her.

That's when it happened, four armed men entered the room, screaming in a foreign language. The girl quicky turned around, now standing with a gun in her hand. She answered in the same language. Michelle felt paralysed, and had no idea what was going on. Then, the man fired his gun, and missed Michelle by an inch. The girl fired her gun, and hit him. Michelle saw him fall to the ground. The other men started screaming, as two of them left the room. The remaining man walked foreward, dragging Michelle towards him, barely missing a bullet that emerged from the girl's gun.

He, hit her, kicked her, slammed her against the wall. Michelle heard shots, and he loosened his grip on her, falling to the ground. The girl kneeled down on next to her, seeing that she was still conscious and picking up her phone.

"Pu Almeida on" Michelle heard her say in a sharp, harsh tone.

"Get in here, now" She got up and left Michelles side, and left the room with her gun in front of her.

Tony, followed by the rest of the team came to the room, he saw Michelle and ran forward, kneeling beside her.

"get medics in here!" he screamed.

"don't move", he ordered when she tried moving her head so she could see him properly.

"It's okay, I'm here now, you're safe, and we're gonna get you fixed up alright?" He moved away from her as two men came in.

"I'm right here okay, I'm not leaving you" he assured her, before moving away, allowing them to work.

She could se the girl coming back into the room, and Tony met her eyes.

"What the hell's going on" his voice was angry.

"To many chefs make a hell of a mess Tony, everyone knows that" She walked past him, and he grabbed her by the arm.

"What the hell are you talking about"

"don't play stupid, Ted's here, he put the pieces together after I stopped Ashrim."

"what? What did he do to her, Nadine, don't just walk away", Tony's voice almost weakened.

"I'll talk to you later", she said, and walked out of the room.

Michelle was taken back to CTU medical. Her body was filled with bruises, she had a couple of broken ribs and a shot wound in the arm.

Nadine catched up with Tony before he went to medical to se Michelle.

"I think there is something you should know before going in there" She said as he walked towards her room.

"what are you talking about, Nadine, whats going on?" he added as he saw her face.

"Ashrim kind of, tried to rape her, before the shooting happened. I managed to get him off her, but she's probably pretty upset, so take it slow with her." Tony turned leaned against the wall and buried his face. When he looke up again.

"Your serious?, she didn't notify us that anything was wrong, he tried to rape her, and she stayed there, she didn't ask to get out. "

"well, if I may, I do no a thing or two about those things, and, I kind of understand why she didn't" He looked at her, he'd forgotten about her past.

"are you okay in all of this"

"yeah I'm fine, all that is in the past" she assured him.

When he walked in she was sitting up in the bed, he sat down beside her.

"How are you feeling" he asked softly, touching her hand gently, but being careful not to upset her.

"They say I have some broken ribs, but the wound will heal alright, and they've given me some painkillers, so…" Her voice was distant.

"You know that's not what I ment…" he said, but she didn't answer.

She was allowed to go home, as the doctor thought she would feel calmer there considering. Tony drove her home, and stayed there with her for a while.

Tony had walked out to the kitchen to talk to Nadine on the phone. When he came back, he found Michelle on the porch.

"You really like it out here, don't you" he said softly.

"yeah, it's peaceful" she said. Her voice vas still as distant and he had no idea what to do. He knew she was hurting, but had no idea how to help her. He gently put an arm over her shoulder,

"you want to talk about it?" she moved closer, and he hugged her, careful not to hurt her.

"I just feel so scared, so ashamed, weak. "her word scared him, and he could feel her shaking.

"You're not weak, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. And when it comes to being scared, I will do whatever I can to protect you, I promise"

"I don't know if I'm ever going to get through this, I don't know what to do" she cried.

"you can get through this, you're to strong for something like this to ruin you!" She pulled back a little.

"how can you even still look at me after what they did to me" she whispered.

"We were so happy, and everything was perfect. I should have never taken the mission." She continued.

"Listen to me, and listen carefully okay? I hate to see you suffer the way you do now. I hate to see you shaking, to se the way your confidence is down and under right now, and to see the life disappear from you. But I love you, I love you with all of my heart, and that won't change. I want to find the guy who did this to you, and to bring him down, to watch him suffer they way he made you suffer, but I wont, because you are more important right now, and you'll always be more important! I am going to help you through this, and you will get through this, we will be happy again!" For the first time, she saw a small, almost non existing smile on her face.

"I'm so glad I have you. I love you so much!" She slowly leaned forward and kissed him softly.

"Why don't you get some sleep, right now you're really tired, upon everything else, and at least that is something we should be able to do something about."

"will you stay?" she asked.

"I really need you beside me tonight" he eyed her

"then you can count on me to be there" he smiled.

A little while later Michelle crawled up in bed. Not long after, Tony came after her. He laid on his side, gently stroking her face.

"You're supposed to sleep to, y'know" she said.

"I don't think I can sleep without knowing you're asleep" he said.

"You're always like that. You have this thing, you have to fix everything, and it scares you to death when you can't" she said silently.

"I guess" he answere, thinking about what she'd said

"you don't have to fix it. Sometimes you can't, and this is one of those things. You can be there for me, but you can't fix it" he smiled

"that does scare me" he said.

"well, go to sleep, I'll stay like this" he said

"mm, I like the thought of that"

Slowly she fell asleep. He could feel her tossing and turning a lot through the night. When the morning came, she had settled a bit, so he didn't wake her.

He got out of bed, and left the room, leaving the door open so that he could hear her if something happened. After a while he hear her moving around a lot, and walked back into the room. She was shaking, and turning and seamed to be dreaming, he decided to wake her up. "Michelle", he whispered, gently touching her shoulder,

"Michelle, wake up". He touched her again, and she pulled away from him. The movement caused her to wake up. He sat down beside her, and stroke the hair out of her face.

"morning sweetie. Bad dream?" he said.

"yeah, a lot, and probably more that I can't remember" She moved close to him, and he held her.

"It's gonna get better, just give it time" She was still shaking, but it slowly she calmed down.

"Breakfast? You haven't eaten much…" he said as she slowly moved away from him.

"I don't think I'll be able to eat much, but…"

She was right, she barely touched her breakfast, but at leas she got a little Tony thought. He was worried about her. She was still a little shaky, and he could see the pain in her eyes. Tony thought about what she'd say, about him always wanting to fix things. He felt that way now, and is scared him, he admitted it, it scared the hell out of him.


	3. It is in darkness, that you se the light

**I decided to continue this. I will try to update regularly, but I do have school, and a horse in full training to take care of, so..**

**Keep in mind that I am not a native English speaker. And only learn English as a second language. **

**Hope you enjoy it!**

The day went by without them leaving the house. Michelle felt safe with him, and the feeling of his strong arms, holding her carefully, not to hurt her already beaten up body made her feel safe. But at the same time, they reminded her of what had happened. Ashrims arms had also felt strong, but forcefully strong, completely different from Tony. And just the feeling of his lips pressed forcefully against hers, made her feel like she had let him down, and betrayed him. The actions were the same, even though the intentions were different.

Michelle pulled away from his embrace, instantly regretting it. First she had let another man touch her, kiss her. And now she pulled away from him. Tony really didn't deserve this. She thought.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He said softly, but without touching her. It was amazing how he could be near her, not having to touch her, but still give that feeling of being there, and protecting her, loving her…

"Nothing, I just…" She let her voice fade, and leaned forward, resting her head on his chest. Tony gently pulled her head back, to look at her face, placing one hand on her chin.

"Hey, no shutting me out, remember?" He looked at her, and waited while she struggled to find the words to use…

"I just keep going over it in my mind, over and over again, wondering if there was anything I could have done. I shouldn't have let my self get pushed into a corner like that, what kind of agent does that. Especially when I know that he is a lot stronger than me. I just, I should have done something. And I feel like I've betrayed you or something, and I just… "She struggled to find the words, and stopped.

"Sweetheart, you did nothing wrong. You have not betrayed me, and none of what happened is your fault. There is no point in beating yourself up about what could have been done different. All you can do is look forward. And you will get through this, I know!" Michelle closed her eyes, and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of his hands caressing her face.

_Later that night_

"What the hell are you talking about Nadine, you said you had it covered, for heavens sake" Michelle entered the kitchen, trying to read Tony's expression.

"What, and when did you plan on telling me this? No you had no right to do that, and you run those kind of things by me, end of story. Yes, of course, you've not exactly left me much choice have you? That worked our real good. Yes, bye…"

"What's going on?" Michelle asked, leaning against the wall.

"To much…" he said, annoyed as he hang up the phone.

"Look I need to go to the office okay?" He said, with a gentle tone this time.

"I won't be long, I promise. And you can call me if you need anything, and I'll come straight back…" He really didn't want to leave her, but he saw no other option.

"I'll manage, just go" She said softly. He walked over to her, and put his arms around her waist.

"You sure?" he asked

"Yes, I'll manage. I need some time alone anyways, you don't have to babysit me" She reassured him. He pressed her lips against her forehead before moving away.

"Okay, I'll be back in about an hour. I love you!"

"I love you to,

Michelle was left alone in the house, and didn't quite know what to do about herself. She had never really had time to think, and left alone with her thoughts. And she didn't really want to, though she was starting to see that it was something she needed.

She cried. She cried, and cried, and once she started, it was hard to stop. It all came rushing over her. And though she felt terrible, it was a relief at the same time. Everything was a mess, but at the same time, she no longer had doubt in her mind that she would get through it. Tony had been amazing, he was amazing. And for the first time, she had something real to hold on to in life. No matter what, he was always there to hold her, keep her safe, and warm and to comfort her.

It took her a while to get herself together, and she wrapped herself up in a blanket on the coach, watching TV. After a while, her phone vibrated on the table, with a message from Tony. "Hey, I'm on my way back now. Everything okay?" it made warmth rush through her. "Good. Everything is fine. Drive carefully. Love you!" She knew he was speeding to get to her, and he laughed when he read it. "Love you to". She read it several times before putting her phone on the table, and settling on the coach again.

Tony walked in to find Michelle sitting on the coach wrapped in a blanket. She turned her head and smiled at him when she heard him approach.

"What's going on?" She asked him

"Nothing you should worry your pretty little head with" he said sweetly. She didn't really want to bring her thoughts to work, so she didn't ask any questions. He sat down on the coach beside her, and she cuddled up to him, and enjoying the warmth of his embrace.

"You seam calmer all of the sudden" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I think I just needed time to clear my mind a bit. I feel a lot better" For the first time after the mission, Tony saw a glimpse of the real Michelle shining through.


	4. Love will survive

**Here you go, I hope you like this one!**

_Flashback_

_Michelle was alone in the room, concentrating on the screen in front of her. She didn't hear Tony enter. He stopped by the door and looked at her._

"_I was wondering where you'd got to" he said, making her look over her shoulder, laughing._

"_Keeping you distance at work is really working out for you, huh?" she said as he walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She spun around in his arms, so that she was facing him. _

"_Well, what they don't know…" he leaned foreword and kissed her. When their lips finally parted, Michelle ran her hands slowly up and down his arms, before letting them rest on his shoulders. _

"_But if we keep this up, they will know." She said. _

"_Seriously, if you want me to be able to keep my hands off you, you have to stop dressing like that" he said, hinting at her black skirt. She laughed, and kissed him one last time, before gently removing his hands from around her waist._

"_Get to work Almeida" she said, trying to sound serious._

"_So you ARE only after my job, I KNEW it. See, you're already taking over the ship here" he replied._

"_Go! If you behave, you might just get rewarded!" She teased_

"_Ooh, and what exactly will my reward be" he asked childishly_

"_Wait and se... Now GO, or we will both be in trouble" Tony left, somewhat unwillingly. And walked back to his office._

_End flashback_

"Tony… Can I ask you something" Michelle asked. She was sitting curled up in a blanket close to Tony on the coach, and his arm was wrapped around her tightly.

"Hey, I thought you were sleeping" he said

"What is it?"

"That young agent, Nadine, who is she? and why was she with Ashrim?" She looked up at him with thoughtful eyes.

"She has been working undercover for one of the guy that provide Ashrim with some of his men, and when there was an opening for her to go in as a part of his staff, I asked her to take it, as an extra security for you I guess…" he told her honestly. There was no point in denying why he had sent Nadine in there.

"She is… special. Far too young to be a field agent, and on the record, she's not even a field agent, though that is mostly what she's sent to do now. She is probably one of the best in her field. I trained her a while back, and we've worked a couple of times since that."

"What do you mean by special?" Michelle's curiosity was growing.

"I don't know how to explain it. She is unafraid, to begin with. And usually that's a bad thing in the field. But she IS careful at the same time. It's like she's not afraid to get caught, or killed, she just won't give the bad guys the pleasure of bringing her down, if you know what I mean." She nodded slightly.

"Thank you" she said. Shifting her body, so that she was facing him.

"For what?"

"For sending her in there, i know you probably wasn't even allowed to, strictly speaking, and if she hadn't been there…" He could feel her body tensing slightly as her words faded.

"Shh… I will always do what I can to protect you, you know that. You mean so much to me" Michelle leaned over and kissed him. Softly at first, but soon he could feel her tongue begging for entry to his mouth. It was amazing what she did to him, he thought. The way she kissed him felt so right. He loved every part of her. The way she knew exactly what he wanted, and how to make his knees go weak, and her smile, her laughter. Good he loved that about her.

_Flashback_

"_Tony, have you seen my top? The pink one?" Michelle said annoyed._

"_No sweetie, in fact, I don't think I've ever seen you in pink" he answered._

"_Yes you have, you just pay as much attention to my clothes, as to what's underneath them" she teased, now giggling._

"_That's true. Hmm, sure it's not at my place?" he turned around her, and walked over to her. She was sitting on the bed, with jeans and only her bra. He ran her fingers over her chest, and letting them slip just beneath the fabric._

"_No, it might as well be, half of my clothes are…" she admitted. "And what are you doing, if I dare ask?"_

"_Don't"_

"_What?" she giggled as he pushed her, so that her back was now against the bed._

"_Ask… Don't ask me what I'm doing" He stopped her from replying with a tender kiss._

"_Mmm…" she gave in to temptation, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She dragged herself up towards the pillow, and with Tony now lying on top of he she pulled him down for another passionate kiss. She could feel his hands tracing every reachable parts of her body. _

_End flashback_

As the days went on, and Michelle slowly recovered, and went back to work, life was starting to go back to normal for the both of them. Tony enjoyed working with Michelle. Not only because he could see her every day, but the also worked well together, something even others had commented. They understood each other, and most of the time, they seamed to read each others mind.

Michelle grabbed the documents and walked up the stairs to Tony's office. The blinds were closed, as Chapelle had just walked down, after bursting in earlier, in a pretty bad mood.

"Hey, I have the files for you" she said, and was about to drop them on his desk, but stopped.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she said gently.

"Nothing, just Chapelle being an ass" he said, still not looking up at her. She dropped the papers at the desk, and walked around his desk, letting her arms slid around his shoulders.

"You do realise I don't buy that, right?" she said with a low voice, into his ear.

"Yeah, but it's nothing to worry about, I promise you. We'll talk about it later, alright?"

He lifted his head, and she slowly let go of him.

"Alright" she smiled, and gave him a soft kiss, and an encouraging look before walking around the desk again, and turning to meet his eyes one last time before heading back down.


End file.
